JPK Instruments Announces the Latest Member of Their Nanotechnology Characterization Systems Family

Published on November 10, 2009 at 6:46 AM

JPK
Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation
for research in life sciences and soft matter, is happy to announce the latest
member of their nanotechnology characterization systems family: the ForceRobot300,
the new standard in single molecule force spectroscopy.

The JPK Force Robot®300 system

Force spectroscopy is a single molecule technique that allows the real-time
study of molecular interactions on the nanoscale. Originating from the broad
field of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), force spectroscopy directly addresses
the measurement of forces between and within molecules. The sensitivity is high
enough to characterize molecular interactions such as the unfolding forces of
single proteins or forces of a single molecular bond.

The key to obtaining meaningful results from single molecule techniques such
as force spectroscopy is the statistical management of the results. This is
where the new ForceRobot300 technology delivers the solution. The automated
setup and continuous adjustments provide improvements in the efficiency of data
collection while the integration of optical techniques allows targeted measurements
where the molecules of interest are located. These factors, combined with the
highest data quality and stability, open the field of single molecule force
spectroscopy to a new level of results.

Until now, single molecule force spectroscopy was a complicated procedure.
The requirement of frequent manual calibrations and alignments as well as the
need for constant operator presence with the instrument made it a long-winded
task. Useful data output was both low and slow with only a few suitable curves
obtained over many hours. The ForceRobot300 addresses these issues as a
dedicated tool for the force spectroscopist.

The key to the system is the incorporation of intelligent software for experimental
design, data acquisition and evaluation. Tens of thousands of force curves may
be generated and evaluated in a matter of hours. To produce high quality curves
requires an exceptional instrument with the lowest noise floor and the most
rigid mechanical design. The highest accuracy and stability of the instrument
is ensured by integrated capacitive position sensors with drift being minimized
thorough utilizing a symmetrical system design.

The system may be operated in a stand-alone mode (see photograph) to give maximum
access and flexibility to the sample. Alternatively, it may be mounted on top
of an inverted optical microscope to enable simultaneous force spectroscopy
and fluorescence microscopy. Both versions are available with a choice of positioning
stage. While the basic motorized stage will provide positioning to better than
one micron, the Precision Mapping Stage uses closed-loop control with noise
levels to better than 0.3nm with positioning to about 1nm.

Like all JPK's advanced instruments, the ForceRobot300 has many
further options for fluidics and temperature control to enable the most reproducible
results. To learn more, visit the product page to download a brochure and read
about various applications.